FIELD TWP- North Woods golfers were more than the competition could handle last week, as both the boys and girls teams claimed tournament championships and had top medalists on the same day.
The girls notched their first top honors of the season on Thursday, May 13 at Babbitt. Morgan Burnett led the way for the Grizzlies with the lowest score in the field, a 39. Haley Bogdan shot a 49, Tori Olson carded a 51, and Lauren Burnett came in with a 54. Madison Dantes and Abbi Shuster scored 55 and 60, respectively.
The Grizzlies beat powerhouse Mesabi East, an odds-on favorite in this year’s league, by a single stroke.
“It was our first day back as a complete team,” Head Coach Kandi Olson said. “I think the excitement of having everyone together just spurred everyone on to play some of their top rounds of the year. We had a little time to work on our short game and we noticed it on the course. To have a medalist and take first as a team, that was an exciting moment for everyone.”
The girls played in the familiar surroundings of Vermilion Fairways in Cook the next day, and this time the final results were reversed, with the Grizzlies finishing second behind Mesabi East. Only three strokes separated the top four North Woods golfers, with Morgan Burnett again low with a 53. Haley Bogdan scored a 54, Tori Olson notched a 55, and Madison Dantes had a round of 56. Abbi Shuster shot a 65 and Lauren Burnett was one stroke behind her at 66.
“It was an incredibly windy day, so the kids had to battle a new element they really hadn’t had to deal with this season,” Olson said.
The Grizzlies were back at it again on Monday, this time with Class AAA Grand Rapids in the field for the Hibbing Golf Invitational at Mesaba Country Club. North Woods placed third, just six strokes back of Grand Rapids, and both well behind winner Mesabi East.
Scores for the Grizzlies in the 18-hole event included Morgan Burnett, 96, Tori Olson, 98, Haley Bogdan, 103, Abbi Shuster, 117, and Madison Dantes, 122.
Boys results
On the same day the girls were scorching the links at Babbitt, the boys were zeroed in on the pins against six other squads playing in the Virginia Invitational at the Virginia Golf Course.
North Woods got a double dose of lightning from Sam Frazee and David Kleppe, as the pair finished first and second in the standings. Frazee was two under par heading into the final hole, and although a bogey knocked him back to 70, he was top medalist by six strokes over Kleppe’s 76. Eli Smith shot an 83, Ian Olson scored an 87, Ty Fabish had a 94, and Jonah Burnett scored 113.
Head Coach Will Kleppe took added satisfaction that the team win came against all Class AA competition, including perennial powerhouse Hermantown.
“In my 25 years of coaching golf, I don’t think we’ve ever come close to Hermantown,” Kleppe said. “I know they’ve got a young team, but to go in there and get the win against them is kind of special. Sam had a fantastic day. Overall, the team kind of carried each other. It was exciting for the kids.”
Both the boys and girls were scheduled to compete in the ERC league championship tourney on Wednesday at the Quarry at Giants Ridge.